First, find someone who is willing to receive Reiki for the treatment practice(s) that you’ll do during the course. This will probably be a friend or family member. If they have never received Reiki before, tell them a little about what they should expect, for example, how long the session will last, and that it will be a deeply relaxing experience for them. Prepare a time when you are both available.
Second, you’ll need a private place. You can study the course materials anywhere, but it is essential that you have somewhere private place for the following:
- The initiation
- The self-healing practice
- The full treatment practice
During these key parts of the course you do not want to be disturbed. Turn your phone off, unless you’re using it to connect with your teacher.
For the initiation, you will need a seat or stool that you can sit on, and if your teacher has given you a guided meditation, you’ll need some audio equipment.
For the treatment practices, the person receiving the treatment needs to be able to lie down comfortably. This can be on a bed, a massage table, or a mat on the floor. Get some pillows ready to support the head, and maybe one to put underneath the knees. If you intend to sit on the floor while giving the full treatment to someone, make sure that you have a cushion to sit on, so that your back is well-supported for the duration of the treatment.
During the initiation and treatments, it may help you to relax if you have some incense burning. Gentle music can also help the mind to let go and flow with the healing experience.
The initiation
Before the initiation, send your teacher a photograph of yourself, which will aid in the emotional and spiritual connection.
During the initiation, sit on a chair or stool so that your spine is in a relaxed, balanced position. It should be of a height so that your feet can rest fully on the floor. This is important so that you can release energies down into the earth. Ideally, your chair will face east, but if you can’t do this, don’t worry.
People often feel some kind of pressure for something special to happen during initiations. Your mind can become busy worrying about whether you are doing it right. Just relax, and know that initiations are always effective (unless you were to deliberately try to block it). If you have been given a guided meditation, this will help you to relax and flow through the whole process.
At the beginning of the initiation, the teacher stands behind the student, resting her hands on the shoulders. (This is a distance initiation, so understand this in a spiritual sense.) The students sits with the hands resting on the lap, palms facing up. At a certain point during the initiation, the teacher (or the guided meditation) may ask the student to put hands in prayer position and raise them to the forehead, and a short while later to return them to resting position on the lap.
Your Distance Course Check-list
- For the treatment practices:
- a quiet place with a bed or mat
- a recipient
- music and incense (optional)
- For the initiation:
- a chair or stool
- send a photograph of yourself to your teacher
- audio equipment if you have been given a guided meditation
- incense (optional)